In the final days and hours before the Republican primary in South Carolina, Newt Gingrich surged ahead in the polls, leaving Mitt Romney scrambling to make the best of an increasingly losing situation. Romney got shellacked in that race, losing to Gingrich by nearly 13 points.

Going into Florida, the next big contest and one that’s worth more convention delegates than all three of the previous races combined, the reverse has happened.

Energized by his more aggressive performance in two Florida debates, and powered by a campaign war chest that’s allowed him to blanket the state’s media markets with attack ads, Romney has surged in late polling.

“It's clear that the negative attacks on Gingrich have been the major difference maker over the last week,” reports PPP. “His net favorability has declined 13 points in just five days. Romney has pretty much stayed in place.”